Book Review : 'Precious Gifts' by Danielle Steel

My Rating

Book Name : Precious Gifts
Author : Danielle Steel
Genre : Fiction

Blurb : Handsome, charming Paul Parker won the heart of a wealthy young Frenchwoman as his second wife. In two marriage, he fathered a challenging son and three very different daughters. But he ultimately chooses life as an international bon vivant over the demands of family. 
Raised by their mother, the three Parker sisters have become vibrant, self-reliant young women: Timmie, the oldest, a dedicated social worker in New York; sweet, nurturing Juliette, proprietor of a fledgling bakery in Brooklyn; and their younger sister, Joy, a struggling actress Los Angeles. Meanwhile, their half-brother has gone from one failure to other. 
Now, after a long illness, Paul has slipped away, and his family has gathered together to read his will. As his final wishes are revealed, his son is forced to face reality, while his daughters see a new side to their father - a caring man trying to redeem himself with a different, lasting legacy. But Paul has saved the biggest surprise for his ex-wife Veronique: a secret from the past that shakes her world and sets her free.

Book from My Eyes: Precious Gift is a book about everything but what has been described in the blurb.  As per the blurb, the novel is about Paul's gift to his family but the majority of the book describes how beautiful Veroniqua is, how kind and soft-hearted she is and about her love affair and some part of the gift. 

Thumbs Up : 

• There is nothing much I can give a thumbs up for this book. 

Thumbs Down :

• None of the characters are built consistent. Timmie, the elder daughter starts with a man-hater feminist and falls in love with the first guy she meets; Veroniqua, who has been tried to be portrayed as an epitome of kindness, love, consideration, actually has been portrayed as a wealthy woman who always try to give a impression that "You are dependent on me and good for nothing of yourself but I don't want to highlight that to you"; there was no difference in the character of Paul and Nicholas in except the fact he is Russian business tycoon and Paul was dependent on his wife for money. 
• The logic for Veroniqua being set free doesn't go well with me. Veroniqua knew Paul has multiple affairs and that was the reason for their divorce and also, it was told multiple times that she had relations but nothing very strong (which means she tried to have relations but none of them didn't work); then what was the point of being set free?
• The story is too too much repetitive. Things which were not needed are also been repeated again and again and again. Joy's affair with her manager is nothing a big deal but the same has been talked about at least 4 times, same is the thing with how nice Sophie and her mother is, how much knowledgeable Veroniqua is about art and how astonished everyone around her is because of the same
• I am still trying to figure out the reason of butterfly in the cover image of the book. Neither it was any sort of gift nor it plays any role. 

Verdict : I wouldn't recommend investing money behind this book.

Book Review : 'Marry Your Billionaire' by C.J. Anaya

My Rating

Book Name : Marry your Billionaire
Author : C.J.Anaya
Genre : Romance

Blurb : Six years ago, Midge Knightly walked away from her trust fund, her Hollywood producer father, and the expectation that she would join the family business. Avoiding handsome playboys with hidden agendas was just an added bonus. Now one semester shy of graduation, she is shocked to discover her scholarship has lost its funding.
Her estranged father is having problems of his own. A contestant on his latest reality TV series has canceled two months before shooting.
His solution?
 Midge gets her trust fund back if she stands in as a potential marriage candidate for the dating series Marry Your Billionaire. Twenty women competing for one arrogant guy. Not Midge's cup of tea. Agreeing to this proposition sucks her back into the world she happily broke ties from, but no trust fund equals no college degree.
Brody Prescott, CEO, and owner of an online dating company has recently been pegged as a heartless playboy-among other things by a disgruntled female after a disappointing date.
His solution?
Become the first bachelor on Marry Your Billionaire and hope that one of the contestants holds some potential. So what is he supposed to do when the woman who intrigues him the most wants to be eliminated?
Marry Your Billionaire is a fun, romantic romp set against the backdrop of reality TV. Throw on your PJ's, grab some chocolate and popcorn, and settle in for an entertaining love story.

Credits: Thank you, C.J.Anaya for sharing the review copy.

Book from My Eyes : 'Marry your Billionaire', by the name and by first few pages of the book I got an impression that this book is going to be too much inspired by 'Fifty Shades' series as the guy is billionaire, the girl is into literature and they both were mesmerized by each other on the first site. But as the story progressed, I was proved wrong and honestly speaking I am really happy for that. I loved the way the story flow, I completely felt like watching a reality show on  TV. 

Thumbs Up:

• Characterization is done very neatly. Each character continued the way it started. I loved, adored Midge, always been in awe of Brody Prescott, hated Corbin Knightly for being such a ruthless and business oriented man and then somehow started loving him.
• Brody Prescott has been portrayed as perfect dream man for every girl. The chemistry between them, even without any erotic scene, is sizzling and to die for.
• Though the story line is about a boy meets girls and does everything possible to achieve her, a very common plot for all love story, but served in a completely new taste. 
• The story is written in multiple POV. Most common mistake authors make with multiple POV is, the narration of all the POVs sounds similar but that was not the case with 'Marry your Billionaire'. Each POV is unique and can be identified differently from others.
• Cheese and Crackers & Sweet Maple Syrup! These phrases have been used too much but now I find myself saying the same consciously or unconsciously.

Thumbs Down 

• Initial few pages are two fast. Once in a while, I felt like the author is in a hurry to go to sets of the reality show 'Marry your Billionaire'.
• The concept of hacking has been overused and sometimes it seemed logically flawed. Lisa could hack into anyone's computer any moment without even knowing the proxy, network or anything, seemed a bit bizarre to me.
• I hated the cover of the book. This book deserves a far better cover.

Verdict : Cheese and Crackers & Sweet Maple Syrup!! This book earned C.J.Anaya a dedicated fan and I would definitely look forward reading all her previous and coming novels. But this book is a definite read.

Book Review : 'Fifty Shades Darker' by E.L. James

My Rating

Book Name : Fifty Shades Darker
Author : E.L.James
Genre : Erotica

Blurb : Daunted by the singular tastes and dark secrets of the beautiful, tormented young entrepreneur Christian Grey, Anastasia Steele has broken off their relationship to start a new career with a Seattle publishing house.
But desire for Christian still dominates her every waking thought, and when he proposes a new arrangement, Anastasia cannot resist. They rekindle their searing sensual affair, and Anastasia learns more about the harrowing past of her damaged, driven and demanding Fifty Shades.
While Christian wrestles with his inner demons, Anastasia must confront the anger and envy of the women who came before her, and make the most important decision of her life.

Book from My Eyes: Once I realized, the 'Fifty Shades of Grey' is finished in a sudden jerk without making things clear, I couldn't resist myself from picking up 'Fifty Shades Darker'. As much as I didn't like 'Fifty Shades of Grey', I loved this book. This book has everything a novel should have, a story to love and cherish, perfectly captured emotions, if not fifty shades but definitely multiple shades of Grey and I thoroughly enjoyed reading this novel.

Thumbs Up : 

• The flow of the story is perfect. It moved from getting back Anastasia in Christian's life to the entire journey to a happy ending very smoothly. It was never too slow to loose interest or never too fast. 
• I loved the way different shades of Christian has been pictured, a control-freak CEO, a lover to die for, a loving son, a sex partner, a caring-over-possessive-insecure  boyfriend, a child and a dream man to every girl.
• The love story between Anastasia and Christian would definitely set a love goal for many couples.
• Though the story had quite a happy ending but the not needed last paragraph will definitely make sure the readers buy the third part of the book, 'Fifty Shades Freed'. This is definitely a thoughtful move when the business is concerned.

Thumbs Down :

• There are not much of thumbs down but this book is also very much repetitive as it's previous part, 'Fifty Shades of Grey'. The same thing what Anastasia feels about Christian, what Christian says to Anastasia has been repeated again and again and again.
• Though Anastasia's inner goddess, subconscious mind, and Anastasia herself are not as boring as part one but still they were boring.
• Mia falling for Ethan is nothing but a cliché!!

Verdict : If one has read 'Fifty Shades of Grey', can't do without reading this one and if haven't read the 'Fifty Shades of Grey', then this book won't make much of sense. This book is a good read and I would definitely suggest reading.